Among the fastest skaters in the NHL, Boedker is a solid two-way forward capable of playing either wing and contributing on offense. Among a growing number of NHL players from Denmark, Boedker, like most Danes, had to leave his homeland in order to pursue a career in hockey.
Boedker played two seasons with Frolunda in Sweden in the Under-18 and junior divisions and the Swedish Elite League. Moving to North America, Boedker played for Kitchener when it won the Ontario Hockey League championship in 2007-08. He had 35 points in 20 playoff games and another six points in five games in the Memorial Cup, where Kitchener lost to Spokane in the final.
Among the fastest skaters in the NHL, Boedker is a solid two-way forward capable of playing either wing and contributing on offense. Among a growing number of NHL players from Denmark, Boedker, like most Danes, had to leave his homeland in order to pursue a career in hockey.
Boedker played two seasons with Frolunda in Sweden in the Under-18 and junior divisions and the Swedish Elite League. Moving to North America, Boedker played for Kitchener when it won the Ontario Hockey League championship in 2007-08. He had 35 points in 20 playoff games and another six points in five games in the Memorial Cup, where Kitchener lost to Spokane in the final.
Selected by the then-Phoenix Coyotes with the No. 8 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, Boedker jumped directly into the Coyotes lineup and had 11 goals and 28 points in 78 games. Boedker made his NHL debut Oct. 11, 2008 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and scored his first NHL goal one night later against the Anaheim Ducks. Boedker represented the Coyotes that season in the YoungStars Game at the NHL All-Star Game.
After splitting the next two seasons between San Antonio of the American Hockey League and the Coyotes, Boedker made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut April 13, 2011 against the Detroit Red Wings. He was back in Arizona full-time in 2011-12, playing all 82 regular-season games and finishing fourth on the Coyotes in playoff scoring with eight points (four goals, four assists) as they advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time. Boedker's first playoff goal in the NHL was an overtime winner on April 17, 2012, in Game 3 of the first round against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Boedker was fourth on the Coyotes in scoring with 26 points in 2012-13 and led the team with 27 takeaways. In 2013-14, he was tied for second on the Coyotes with 51 points. In 2014-15, he had five goals in the first three games, a franchise record.
On Feb. 29, 2016, Boedker's time in Arizona came to an end when he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for veteran forward Alex Tanguay and prospects Conner Bleackley and Kyle Wood, but Boedker's tenure in Colorado was short. An unrestricted free agent at season's end, on July 1, 2016, he signed a four-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.
Boedker has represented Denmark several times internationally, at times skating alongside his older brother, Mads.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- Signed as a free agent by Rauma (Finland), September 27, 2012.
- Traded to Colorado by Arizona for Alex Tanguay, Connor Bleackley and Kyle Wood, February 29, 2016.
- Signed as a free agent by San Jose, July 1, 2016.
